Methods and apparatus related to an optical fiber member having a removable cover

ABSTRACT

An apparatus may include a waveguide. The waveguide may include a distal end surface which may be substantially normal to a centerline of a distal end portion of the waveguide. The apparatus may further include a cover which may be coupled to a portion of the waveguide. The cover may include a portion distal to the distal end surface of the waveguide, and the portion of the cover may be made of a material which may be configured to be removed when exposed to electromagnetic radiation emitted from a portion of the distal end surface of the waveguide.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This Nonprovisional Patent Application claims the benefit of priorityunder 35 U.S.C. §119 to U.S. Provisional Patent Application No.61/287,458, filed Dec. 17, 2009, and titled “METHODS AND APPARATUSRELATED TO AN OPTICAL FIBER MEMBER HAVING A REMOVABLE COVER,” which isincorporated herein by reference.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

Embodiments relate generally to optical medical devices, and, inparticular, to a cover for an optical fiber member and methods for usingsuch devices.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

During a ureteroscopy procedure, a medical practitioner can insert anendoscope (such as a ureteroscope) into a patient's urinary tract, forexample, over a guide wire to locate an undesirable object such as akidney stone or a bladder stone. Once the stone is located, an opticalfiber member can be introduced into a working channel of the endoscopeand advanced within the working channel until the optical fiber comesinto contact with or in close proximity to the stone. Electromagneticradiation from, for example, an electromagnetic radiation source (e.g.,a holmium (Ho) laser source) can be directed through a waveguide of theoptical fiber member towards the stone to break the stone intofragments. The fragments can be removed with, for example, a basket toolvia the working channel or flushed through normal urinary activity. Thistype of ureteroscopy procedure, which can be minimally invasive, can beperformed under, for example, a general anesthetic.

Many known optical fiber members that are used in ureteroscopyprocedures have, for example, cleaved distal ends with edges that can berelatively sharp. The distal end edge of a known optical fiber membercan snag on and/or cut into an inner surface (e.g., an inner liner) of aworking channel of an endoscope as the optical fiber member is advancedwithin the working channel during a ureteroscopy procedure. A snag canresult, for example, in an undesirable delay during a ureteroscopyprocedure and/or in damage (e.g., irreparable harm) to the endoscope.The potential for the distal end of a known optical fiber member to snagor cut a working channel of an endoscope is particularly high when theoptical fiber member is advanced through a portion of the workingchannel that is intentionally or unintentionally bent during aureteroscopy procedure. Thus, a need exists for a cover coupled to adistal end portion of an optical fiber member that can address at leastsome of these issues.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

An aspect of the present disclosure may include an apparatus having awaveguide. The waveguide may include a distal end surface which may besubstantially normal to a centerline of a distal end portion of thewaveguide. The apparatus may further include a cover which may becoupled to a portion of the waveguide. The cover may include a portiondistal to the distal end surface of the waveguide, and the portion ofthe cover may be made of a material which may be configured to beremoved when exposed to electromagnetic radiation emitted from a portionof the distal end surface of the waveguide.

Various embodiments of the disclosure may include one or more of thefollowing aspects: the portion of the cover may be coupled to the distalend surface of the waveguide; the cover may be coupled to an edge of thedistal end surface of the waveguide; the waveguide may further comprisea cladding layer, and the edge of the distal end surface of thewaveguide may be substantially defined by the cladding layer of thewaveguide; the cover may include a substantially spherical shape; thecover may include a toroid shape that may define an openingsubstantially aligned along a plane normal to a centerline of a fibercore of the distal end portion of the waveguide; the material may besubstantially opaque to the electromagnetic radiation when emitted fromthe distal end surface of the waveguide; a jacket may be disposed aroundthe waveguide proximally to the portion of the cover, and the materialof the portion of the cover may include a composition substantiallysimilar to a composition of the jacket; a jacket may be disposed aroundthe waveguide, and the cover may be coupled to a portion of the jacket;a jacket may be disposed around the waveguide, and the cover may includea proximal end separated from a distal end of the jacket by an air gap;the distal end surface of the waveguide may be defined partially by afiber core of the waveguide; the cover may be adhesively coupled to atleast one of a cladding layer of the waveguide and the portion of theedge; and the waveguide may be included in a ureteroscope.

An aspect of the present disclosure may include a method includingremoving a portion of a jacket disposed on a waveguide such that anaxial portion of a cladding layer of the waveguide may be exposed. Adistal end surface of the waveguide may be defined by the cladding layerand a fiber core of the waveguide, and the distal end surface of thewaveguide may be substantially normal to a centerline of the waveguide.The method may further include disposing a material on an edge of thedistal end surface and on a portion of the distal end surface of thewaveguide. The material may be configured to be removed when exposed toelectromagnetic radiation emitted from a portion of the distal endsurface of the waveguide.

Various embodiments of the disclosure may include one or more of thefollowing aspects: the disposing step may include disposing the materialon a portion of the axial portion of the cladding layer; removing afirst portion of the material such that a second portion of the materialremaining on the edge of the distal end surface may have an arc ofcurvature co-planar with the centerline of the waveguide; the disposingstep may be performed using at least one of a dipping process and adeposition process; and the method may also include defining a coverhaving a cavity defined by an inner surface of the cover, wherein thematerial may define a portion of the inner surface of the cover, and thedisposing step may include moving the portion of the inner surface overthe waveguide.

An aspect of the present disclosure may include a method comprisinginserting a distal end portion of a waveguide into a body of a patientthrough an endoscopic tube. The waveguide may include a removablematerial coupled to a distal end surface of the distal end portion ofthe waveguide, and the distal end surface may be substantially normal toa centerline of the distal end portion of the waveguide. The method mayfurther include activating an electromagnetic radiation source coupledto a proximal end portion of the waveguide such that a portion of theremovable material may be removed from the distal end surface byelectromagnetic radiation emitted from the electromagnetic radiationsource.

Various embodiments of the disclosure may include the following aspect:the removable material may be configured such that the portion of theremovable material may be removed within one second of the activating.

Additional objects and advantages of the invention will be set forth inpart in the description which follows, and in part will be obvious fromthe description, or may be learned by practice of the invention. Theobjects and advantages of the invention will be realized and attained bymeans of the elements and combinations particularly pointed out in theappended claims.

It is to be understood that both the foregoing general description andthe following detailed description are exemplary and explanatory onlyand are not restrictive of the invention, as claimed.

The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute apart of this specification, illustrate several embodiments of theinvention and together with the description, serve to explain theprinciples of the invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1A is a schematic diagram that illustrates a side view of a distalend portion of an optical fiber member disposed within a lumen definedby an endoscopic tube, according to an embodiment.

FIG. 1B is a schematic diagram that illustrates a side view of thedistal end portion of the optical fiber member when disposed outside ofthe lumen defined by the endoscopic tube shown in FIG. 1A.

FIG. 2A is a schematic diagram that illustrates a perspective view of adistal end portion of an optical fiber member, according to anembodiment.

FIG. 2B is a schematic diagram that illustrates a perspective view ofthe distal end portion of the optical fiber member shown in FIG. 2Aafter a portion of the jacket has been removed.

FIG. 2C is a schematic diagram that illustrates a perspective view ofthe distal end portion of the optical fiber member shown in FIG. 2Bafter a cover has been coupled to the distal end portion of the opticalfiber member.

FIG. 3A is a schematic diagram that illustrates a perspective view ofthe distal end portion of the optical fiber member after at least aportion of the cover shown in FIG. 2C is removed, according to anembodiment.

FIG. 3B is a schematic diagram that illustrates a perspective view of adistal surface of the cover after a portion of the cover is removed inresponse to reflected electromagnetic radiation.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart that illustrates a method for coupling a covermade of a removable material to a distal end portion of an optical fibermember, according to an embodiment.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart that illustrates a method for using a distal endportion of an optical fiber member that has a cover made of a removablematerial, according to an embodiment.

FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram of a side cross-sectional view of aremovable cover coupled to an optical fiber member, according to anembodiment.

FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram of a side cross-sectional view of aremovable cover being coupled to an optical fiber member, according toan embodiment.

FIG. 8 is a schematic diagram of a side cross-sectional view of aremovable cover coupled to an optical fiber member, according to anotherembodiment.

FIG. 9 is a schematic diagram of a side cross-sectional view of aremovable cover coupled to an optical fiber member, according to yetanother embodiment.

DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS

Reference will now be made in detail to the present embodiments,examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings. Whereverpossible, the same reference numbers will be used throughout thedrawings to refer to the same or like parts.

The devices and methods described herein are generally related to anoptical fiber member configured to treat a target treatment area withina body of a patient. Specifically, the optical fiber member can be usedto transmit electromagnetic radiation (e.g., laser energy) from anelectromagnetic radiation source (e.g., a laser energy source) to thetarget treatment area when at least a portion of the optical fibermember is disposed within, for example, an endoscope. Theelectromagnetic radiation can be transmitted into and/or propagatedwithin a waveguide of the optical fiber member. In some embodiments, thewaveguide can be referred to as an optical waveguide. A proximal endportion of the optical fiber member can be coupled to theelectromagnetic radiation source while the distal end portion of theoptical fiber member can be inserted into the patient's body to providethe electromagnetic radiation treatment. In some embodiments, thewaveguide of the optical fiber member can include, for example, a fibercore, one or more cladding layers disposed around the fiber core, and/orso forth. In some embodiments, the optical fiber member can also have abuffer layer disposed around the cladding layer(s) and/or a jacket(e.g., a jacket layer disposed around the buffer layer). The jacket canalso be referred to as a jacket coating, and the buffer layer can bereferred to as a buffer coating.

A distal end portion of the optical fiber member can have a coverconfigured so that the optical fiber member can be moved (e.g.,advanced), for example, within a lumen (e.g., an endoscopic lumen orworking channel) without snagging on an inner surface of the lumen.Specifically, the cover can have a smooth surface and can be coupled tothe distal end portion of the optical fiber member so that the opticalfiber member can be slidably moved within the lumen during placement(e.g., insertion) of at least a portion of the optical fiber member in abody of a patient (e.g., in close proximity to a target treatment areawithin a body of a patient). Placement of the optical fiber member canbe performed during a placement portion (also can be referred to as aninsertion portion) of a medical procedure.

The cover can be made of a material configured to be removed (e.g.,detached, separated, fragmented, broken-up, pulverized, disintegrated,burned back, ablated) when exposed to electromagnetic radiation emittedfrom at least a portion of the distal end of the optical fiber member.The cover can be made of a removable material so that after the opticalfiber member has been placed in a desirable position, the cover can beremoved (e.g., removed using electromagnetic radiation) from a portionof the optical fiber member used for treatment of the patient. In otherwords, the cover can be removed so that electromagnetic radiation can beemitted from a waveguide of the optical fiber member towards a targettreatment area without being blocked by the cover. The cover can beremoved during a removal portion of a medical procedure, and the patientcan be treated using the optical fiber member during a treatment portionof the medical procedure. In some embodiments, a cover made of aremovable material can be referred to as a removable cover.

In some embodiments, the cover can be coupled to the optical fibermember after at least a portion of a jacket of the optical fiber memberhas been removed to expose at least a portion of the waveguide of theoptical fiber member (e.g., a portion of a cladding layer of the opticalfiber member). For example, the cover can be coupled to a distal endsurface (e.g., a cleaved distal end surface) of a waveguide of theoptical fiber member, a cladding layer disposed circumferentially (e.g.,axially) around at least a portion of an optical fiber member, and/or ajacket of the optical fiber member.

In some embodiments, the devices and methods described herein can beused in treating symptoms related to, for example, a kidney stone and/oran enlarged prostate gland, a condition known as Benign ProstaticHyperplasia (BPH). Specifically, electromagnetic radiation from aholmium:YAG (Ho:YAG) electromagnetic radiation source can be propagatedthrough the optical fiber member to remove the kidney stone and/or theobstructive prostate tissue. The Ho:YAG surgical electromagneticradiation source is a solid-state, pulsed electromagnetic radiationsource that emits light at a wavelength of approximately 2100 nanometers(nm). This wavelength of light is particularly useful for, for example,tissue ablation because it is strongly absorbed by water. An advantageof Ho:YAG electromagnetic radiation sources is that they can be used forboth tissue cutting and for coagulation.

It is noted that, as used in this written description and the appendedclaims, the singular forms “a,” “an” and “the” include plural referentsunless the context clearly dictates otherwise. Thus, for example, theterm “a wavelength” is intended to mean a single wavelength or acombination of wavelengths. Furthermore, the words “proximal” and“distal” refer to direction closer to and away from, respectively, anoperator (e.g., a medical practitioner, a nurse, a technician, etc.) whowould insert a medical device into a patient. Thus, for example, an endof an optical fiber member inserted inside a patient's body would be thedistal end of the optical fiber member, while an end of the opticalfiber member outside of a patient's body would be the proximal end ofthe optical fiber member.

FIG. 1A is a schematic diagram that illustrates a side view of a distalend portion 110 of an optical fiber member 100 disposed within a lumen144 defined by an endoscopic tube 140, according to an embodiment. Asshown in FIG. 1 through cut-away A in the endoscopic tube 140, theoptical fiber member 100 includes a waveguide 102, a jacket 104, and acover 180. As shown in FIG. 1A, the jacket 104 (e.g., a polymer-basedjacket, a Tefzel® jacket) can be disposed around the waveguide 102 ofthe optical fiber member 100.

The cover 180 is defined so that the distal end portion 110 of theoptical fiber 100 can be moved (e.g., advanced), for example, in adistal direction B within the lumen 144 without snagging on an innersurface 146 that defines the lumen 144 of the endoscopic tube 140.Specifically, the cover 180 can have a relatively smooth outer surfaceconfigured to slide along the inner surface 146 of the endoscopic tube140 when the optical fiber member 100 is moved within the endoscopictube 140. In some embodiments, the inner surface 146 of the endoscopictube 140 can be associated with an integral inner liner (not shown) or aseparate inner liner (not shown).

In some embodiments, the cover 180 can have a shape defined so that theoptical fiber member 100 can be moved in a proximal direction (notshown) substantially opposite the distal direction B without, forexample, snagging on the inner surface 146 that defines the lumen 144 ofthe endoscopic tube 140. In some embodiments, an outer diameter of thecover 180 can be equal to or greater than an outer diameter of thejacket 104. In some embodiments, an outer diameter of the cover 180 canbe smaller than an outer diameter of the jacket 104.

The waveguide 102 of the optical fiber member 100 can be disposedwithin, and substantially along, an entire length of the optical fibermember 100. In some embodiments, the waveguide 102 of the optical fibermember 100 can include, for example, a fiber core, one or more bufferlayers, and/or one or more cladding layers (not shown in FIG. 1A or FIG.1B).

In some embodiments, any portion of the waveguide 102, such as a fibercore of the waveguide 102, can be made of a suitable material for thetransmission of electromagnetic radiation from an electromagneticradiation source (not shown). In some embodiments, the optical fibermember 100 can be a silica-based optical fiber member. For example, afiber core included in the waveguide 102 can be a pure silica fibercore, and a cladding layer in the waveguide 102 and disposed around thefiber core can be a doped-silica cladding layer. In some embodiments,for example, the fiber core can be made of silica with a low hydroxyl(OH⁻) ion residual concentration. Electromagnetic radiation wavelengthsbetween about 500 nm to about 2100 nm can be propagated within the fibercore of the optical fiber member 100 during a surgical procedure. Anexample of low hydroxyl (low-OH⁻) fibers used in medical devices isdescribed in U.S. Pat. No. 7,169,140 to Kume, the disclosure of which isincorporated herein by reference in its entirety. The fiber core can bea multi-mode fiber core and can have a step or graded index profile. Insome embodiments, electromagnetic radiation can be transmitted into(e.g., launched into) the fiber core from an electromagnetic radiationsource via a connector (e.g., a launch connector) such as that describedin U.S. Patent Application Publication No. US 2009/0180745 A1, filedDec. 19, 2008, entitled “Methods and Apparatus Related to a LaunchConnector Portion of a Ureteroscope Laser-Energy-Delivery Device,” whichis incorporated by reference herein in its entirety.

In some embodiments, any portion of the waveguide 102 (e.g., a claddinglayer of the waveguide 102) can be doped with a dopant (e.g., a fluorinedopant, a chlorine dopant, a rare-earth dopant, an alkali-metal dopant,an alkali-metal-oxide dopant, an amplifying dopant, etc.). In someembodiments, a cladding layer of the waveguide 102 (if including acladding layer) can be a single cladding or a double cladding that canbe made of a hard polymer or a silica. A buffer layer of the waveguide102 (if including a buffer layer) can be made of a relatively hardpolymer such as Tefzel®.

In some embodiments, the lumen 144 of the endoscopic tube 140 can alsobe configured to receive various medical devices or tools, such as, forexample, irrigation and/or suction devices, forceps, drills, snares,needles, etc. In some embodiments, the endoscopic tube 140 can defineone or more lumens, in addition to lumen 144, through which one or moremedical devices can be received. An example of such an endoscopic tube140 with multiple lumens is described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,296,608 toDaniels et al., the disclosure of which is incorporated herein byreference in its entirety. In some embodiments, a fluid channel (notshown) can be defined by the endoscopic tube 140 and coupled at aproximal end to a fluid source (not shown). The fluid channel can beused to irrigate an interior of the patient's body during a laser-basedsurgical procedure. In some embodiments, an eyepiece (not shown) can becoupled to a proximal end portion of the endoscopic tube 140, forexample, and coupled to a proximal end portion of an optical fibermember (separate from optical fiber member 100, not shown) that can bedisposed within a lumen (e.g., lumen 144) of the endoscopic tube 140.Such an embodiment can allow a medical practitioner to view the interiorof a patient's body through the eyepiece.

FIG. 1B is a schematic diagram that illustrates a side view of thedistal end portion 110 of the optical fiber member 100 when disposedoutside of the lumen 144 defined by the endoscopic tube 140 shown inFIG. 1A. The distal end portion 110 of the optical fiber member 100 canbe moved from the position disposed inside of the lumen 144 (shown inFIG. 1A) to the position disposed outside of the lumen 144 (shown inFIG. 1B) via opening 142 defined by the endoscopic tube 140. In someembodiments, the distal end portion 110 of the optical fiber member 100can be moved (e.g., slidably moved) from the position disposed withinthe lumen 144 to the position disposed outside of the lumen 144 after atleast a portion of the endoscopic tube 140 has been disposed within abody of a patient (not shown). In such instances, the distal end portion110 of the optical fiber member 100 can be moved into the body of thepatient when being moved outside of the lumen 144.

As shown in FIG. 1B, the cover 180 (which is shown in FIG. 1A) has beenremoved from the distal end portion 110 of the optical fiber member 100as represented by the dashed line. The cover 180 can be removed so thatelectromagnetic radiation C can be emitted from a distal end surface 106of the waveguide 102. The electromagnetic radiation C can be propagatedfrom within the waveguide 102 from, for example, an electromagneticradiation source (not shown).

Although not shown, at least a portion of the cover 180 (e.g., theentire cover 180) can be removed (e.g., pulverized) in response to beingexposed to electromagnetic radiation (e.g., continuous-waveelectromagnetic radiation, pulsed electromagnetic radiation) propagatedwithin the waveguide 102 from an electromagnetic radiation source andincident on the cover 180. In some embodiments, at least a portion ofthe cover 180 can be removed from the distal end portion 110 of theoptical fiber member 100 in response to being, for example, burned bythe electromagnetic radiation. In some embodiments, the cover 180 can beremoved so that at least the distal surface 106 of waveguide 102 isexposed (e.g., no longer disposed inside of the cover 180). When thedistal surface 106 of the waveguide 102 is exposed, electromagneticradiation from, for example, an electromagnetic radiation source can bepropagated within the waveguide 102 and out of the distal surface 106 toa target treatment area of a patient.

In some embodiments, the electromagnetic radiation used to remove thecover 180 can be emitted from an electromagnetic radiation sourcedifferent from an electromagnetic radiation source used to emit theelectromagnetic radiation C. For example, electromagnetic radiation froma first electromagnetic radiation source (not shown) can be propagatedwithin the waveguide 102 so that it is incident on an interior portionof the cover 180. Before such propagation, the interior portion of thecover 180 can be in contact with the distal end surface 106 of thewaveguide 102. The electromagnetic radiation from the firstelectromagnetic radiation source can, for example, bum at least aportion of the cover 180 so that at least the distal end surface 106 ofthe waveguide 102 is exposed (e.g., no longer disposed inside of thecover 180). After the portion of the cover 180 has been removed usingelectromagnetic radiation from the first electromagnetic radiationsource, the electromagnetic radiation C from a second electromagneticradiation source can be transmitted through the waveguide 102 and out ofthe distal end surface 106 of the waveguide 102. In some embodiments,the first electromagnetic radiation source can be a cover-removingelectromagnetic radiation source and the second electromagneticradiation source can be used for treatment of a portion (e.g., a tissue)of a body of a patient. In such instances, the first electromagneticradiation source may not be used to treat the portion of the body of thepatient. In some embodiments, electromagnetic radiation from the firstelectromagnetic radiation source and used for removal of the portion ofthe cover 180 can be referred to as removal electromagnetic radiation,and the electromagnetic radiation C from the second electromagneticradiation source and used for treatment of the patient can be referredto as treatment electromagnetic radiation. In some embodiments,treatment electromagnetic radiation (used after removal electromagneticradiation) can cause some portions of the cover 180 to be removed (e.g.,disintegrated).

The cover 180 can be made of any type of material that can be removed(e.g., pulverized) in response to being exposed to, for example,electromagnetic radiation. In some embodiments, the cover 180 can bemade from a material that is substantially the same as (e.g., has acomposition substantially the same as) a material used to make thejacket 104. In some embodiments, the cover 180 can be made of a materialthat is opaque (e.g., substantially opaque) to the electromagneticradiation emitted towards the material to, for example, cause thematerial to be removed (e.g., disintegrate). In some embodiments, thecover 180 can be made of a material configured to be removed in responseto being exposed to electromagnetic radiation from an electromagneticradiation source for, for example, a second or less (e.g., a fewmilliseconds). In some embodiments, the cover 180 can be made of amaterial configured to be removed after more than a second of exposureto electromagnetic radiation from an electromagnetic radiation source.In some embodiments, fragments of the cover 180 that may remain within abody of a patient after being exposed to the electromagnetic radiationsource can be removed from the body of the patient with, for example, abasket tool via the endoscopic tube 140 and/or flushed through normalurinary activity.

In some embodiments, the cover 180 can be made of multiple materialsthat are configured to be removed (e.g., pulverized) from the distal endportion 110 of the optical fiber member 100 at different rates. Forexample, in some embodiments, the cover 180 can have a first portion(e.g., an inner portion, a side portion, an outer portion) made of afirst material configured to be removed (e.g., disintegrate) whenexposed to electromagnetic radiation for a first period of time, and thecover 180 can have a second portion (e.g., an inner portion, a sideportion, an outer portion) made of a second material configured to beremoved (e.g., disintegrate) when exposed to electromagnetic radiationfor a second period of time that is longer than the first period oftime.

Although not shown, in some embodiments, a cover made of a removablematerial can be coupled to a different type of optical fiber memberother than a straight-fire optical fiber member (such as that shown inFIGS. 1A and 1B). For example, in some embodiments, a cover made of aremovable material can be coupled to a side-fire laser fiber member.

Although not shown, in some embodiments, the cover 180 can be disposedonly around a portion of the waveguide 102. For example, in someembodiments, the cover 180 can be disposed around, an upper portion of adistal end portion of the waveguide 102 and/or a lower portion of thedistal end portion of the waveguide 102 rather than being disposedentirely around the distal end portion of the waveguide 102. In suchinstances, the cover 180 can have, for example, a semi-circularcross-sectional shape when viewed from the distal end.

FIGS. 2A through 2C are schematic diagrams that illustrate a method fordisposing (e.g., a coupling) a cover 220 on a waveguide 250 of a distalend portion 210 of an optical fiber member 200, according to anembodiment. In other words, FIGS. 2A through 2C are related to a methodfor producing a cover 220 for a distal end portion 210 of the opticalfiber member 200.

Specifically, FIG. 2A is a schematic diagram that illustrates aperspective view of a distal end portion 210 of an optical fiber member200, according to an embodiment. As shown in FIG. 2A, the distal endportion 210 of the optical fiber member 200 includes a waveguide 250 anda jacket 230 (e.g., a jacket made of a polymer-based material) disposedaxially around the waveguide 250 (e.g., around an outside of a side wallof the waveguide 250). The waveguide 250 includes a cladding layer 252(e.g., a fluorine-doped cladding layer) and a fiber core 254 (e.g., asubstantially pure silica fiber core). In some embodiments, thewaveguide 250 can include, for example, another cladding layer (notshown) and/or a buffer layer (not shown) (e.g., an acrylate bufferlayer).

As shown in FIG. 2A, the distal end portion 210 of the optical fibermember 200 has a cleaved distal end 258. The cleaved distal end 258 isdefined by at least a portion of the cladding layer 252, the fiber core254, and the jacket 230. In some embodiments, the cleaved distal end 258can be defined using, for example, a scoring and breaking method and/ora cutting instrument. In some embodiments, the cleaved distal end 258can be substantially flat and/or polished. In some embodiments, alongitudinal axis or centerline R of the distal end portion 210 of theoptical fiber member 200 can be substantially normal to a plane definedby the cleaved distal end 258.

FIG. 2B is a schematic diagram that illustrates a perspective view ofthe distal end portion 210 of the optical fiber member 200 shown in FIG.2A after a portion of the jacket 230 has been removed. As shown in FIG.2B, the portion of the jacket 230 has been stripped from the distal endportion 210 to expose at least a portion of a side wall 251 (also can bereferred to as an axial portion) of the cladding layer 252 of thewaveguide 250 of the optical fiber member 200. The portion of the sidewall of the cladding layer 252 that is exposed has a length Q. Althoughnot shown, in some embodiments, the cladding layer 252 can be chemicallyand/or mechanically stripped to, for example, expose at least a portionof a side wall of the fiber core 254.

As shown in FIG. 2B, an edge 256 of the waveguide 250 is exposed whenthe portion of the jacket 230 has been stripped from the distal endportion 210 of the optical fiber member 200. If inserted into, forexample, a lumen defined by an endoscopic tube (not shown), the edge 256of the waveguide 250 could snag within and/or cut an inner portion ofthe endoscopic tube.

FIG. 2C is a schematic diagram that illustrates a perspective view ofthe distal end portion 210 of the optical fiber member 200 shown in FIG.2B after a cover 220 has been coupled to the distal end portion 210 ofthe optical fiber member 200. As shown in FIG. 2C, the edge 256 of thewaveguide 250 is covered by the cover 220 and the cover 220 is coupledto the jacket 230 of the distal end portion 210 of the optical fibermember 200.

In some embodiments, the cover 220 shown in FIG. 2C can be defined, atleast in part, by depositing a material onto the waveguide 250. In someembodiments, the cover 220 can be made, at least in part, from acomponent formed from a material separate from the optical fiber member200, and can be coupled to (e.g., press-fit onto, melted onto, coupledusing an adhesive) the waveguide 250. Although not shown, in someembodiments, at least a portion of the cover 220 can be coupled to(e.g., disposed on) an axial portion (e.g., an outer surface of a sidewall) of the jacket 230.

In some embodiments, the shape of the cover 220 shown in FIG. 2C can bedefined after a material (e.g., a component made from the material) hasbeen initially coupled to the distal end portion 210 of the opticalfiber member 200. For example, a component with distal edges and/orproximal edges (e.g., a square component) made from a removable materialcan be coupled to the distal end portion 210 of the optical fiber member200. The distal and/or proximal edges of the component can be polishedand/or heated (e.g., melted by heat) so that the shape of the cover 220shown in FIG. 2C is defined. In some embodiments, the shape of the cover220 can be different than the conical shape shown in FIG. 2C. Moredetails related to removable covers of various shapes are described inconnection with FIGS. 6 through 9.

In some embodiments, the cover 220 can be formed using a dippingprocess. For example, after the portion of the jacket 230 has beenstripped (as shown in FIG. 2B) the distal end portion 210 of the opticalfiber member 200 can be dipped into a material (e.g., a material in amelted state). In some embodiments, the cover 220 can be formed using adeposition process. For example, after the portion of the jacket 230 hasbeen stripped (as shown in FIG. 2B) a material can be deposited onto thedistal end portion 210 of the optical fiber member 200 using adeposition process. The material can be configured to adhere (e.g., bondto, stick to) to the distal end portion 210 of the optical fiber member200 (using the dipping process and/or the deposition process). In someembodiments, the material that has adhered to the distal end portion 210of the optical fiber member 200 can be processed, if necessary, todefine the shape of the cover 220.

FIGS. 3A and 3B are schematic diagrams that illustrate the distal endportion 210 of the optical fiber member 200 during portions (e.g.,phases) of a medical procedure after the cover 220 has been coupled tothe distal end portion 210 of the optical fiber member 200 (as shown inFIGS. 2A through 2C). In other words, FIGS. 3A and 3B are related to useof the distal end portion 210 of the optical fiber member 200 after thecover 220 has been coupled to the distal end portion 210 of the opticalfiber member 200.

Specifically, FIG. 3A is a schematic diagram that illustrates aperspective view of the distal end portion 210 of the optical fibermember 200 after at least a portion 221 of the cover 220 shown in FIG.2C is removed, according to an embodiment. As shown in FIG. 3A, theportion 221 of the cover 220 that is removed is represented by a dottedline. In some embodiments, the portion 221 of the cover 220 can beremoved during a removal portion of a medical procedure. Specifically,the portion 221 of the cover 220 can be removed in response to beingexposed to electromagnetic radiation from an electromagnetic radiationsource (not shown). In some embodiments, the portion 221 of the cover220 can be removed after the distal end portion 210 of the optical fibermember 200 has been placed in a desirable position with respect to atreatment area of a patient.

In some embodiments, the electromagnetic radiation can be defined by theelectromagnetic radiation source to specifically remove the portion 221of the cover 220. In other words, one or more characteristics of theelectromagnetic radiation can be defined for removal of the portion 221of the cover 220. For example, the electromagnetic radiation can bepropagated within at least a portion of the waveguide 250 so that theelectromagnetic radiation is incident on the portion 221 of the cover220 (e.g., an interior portion of the cover 220) for a specifiedduration(s), in a pulsed fashion, at a specified power level, within aspecified range of wavelengths of electromagnetic radiation, and soforth. In some embodiments, one or more characteristics ofelectromagnetic radiation used for removal of the portion 221 of thecover 220 can be different than one or more characteristics ofelectromagnetic radiation used for treatment of a patient after theportion 221 of the cover 220 has been removed. In some embodiments,electromagnetic radiation used for removal of the portion 221 of thecover 220 can be referred to as removal electromagnetic radiation andelectromagnetic radiation used for treatment of a patient after theportion 221 of the cover 220 has been removed can be referred to astreatment electromagnetic radiation. Although not shown, in someembodiments, the electromagnetic radiation used for removal of theportion 221 of the cover 220 can be produced by an electromagneticradiation source different from an electromagnetic radiation source usedduring treatment of a patient after the portion 221 of the cover 220 hasbeen removed.

FIG. 3B is a schematic diagram that illustrates a perspective view of adistal surface 222 of the cover 220 after a portion of the cover 220 isremoved in response to reflected electromagnetic radiation U. As shownin FIG. 3B, a portion of a distal surface 222 of the cover 220 isexposed in response to electromagnetic radiation U reflected from atleast a portion of a surface 212 defined by the waveguide 250 andincident on the cover 220 causing a portion of the cover 220 to beremoved. Specifically, portions of the cover 220 can be, for example,burned back by the electromagnetic radiation U so that the distalsurface 222 of the cover 220 is exposed. In some embodiments, the distalsurface 222 of the cover 220 can be exposed in response to the reflectedelectromagnetic radiation U during a removal portion of a medicalprocedure and/or during a treatment portion of a medical procedure. Inother words, the electromagnetic radiation U can be removalelectromagnetic radiation and/or treatment electromagnetic radiation.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart that illustrates a method for coupling a covermade of a removable material to a distal end portion of an optical fibermember, according to an embodiment. As shown in FIG. 4, a portion of ajacket is removed from an optical fiber member so that an axial portionof a cladding layer of the optical fiber member is exposed, at 410.

A distal end surface substantially normal to a longitudinal axis (orcenterline) of the optical fiber member is defined from the claddinglayer of the optical fiber member, at 420. The distal end surface of thecladding layer can be co-planar with a distal end surface of a fibercore of the optical fiber member. In some embodiments, the distal endsurface can be, for example, polished. In some embodiments, removing theportion of the jacket from the optical fiber member (shown in block 410)may be performed to facilitate the defining of the distal end surface.

A removable material is coupled to an edge of the distal end surface, at430. In some embodiments, the removable material can be coupled on oraround the edge of the distal end surface. In some embodiments, theremovable material can be coupled so that the edge of the distal endsurface may not be exposed in an undesirable fashion during a placementportion of a medical procedure. In some embodiments, the coupling of theremovable material can include, for example, disposing, depositing,dipping, and/or so forth.

In some embodiments, the removable material can be made of a materialthat is substantially similar to that of the jacket. In someembodiments, the removable material can be made a material that isdifferent from that of the jacket.

In some embodiments, removing a portion of a jacket (shown in block 410)may be optional. In other words, the defining shown in block 420 and/orthe coupling shown in block 430 may be performed without stripping aportion of the jacket from the optical fiber member. In such instances,the jacket may be substantially co-extensive with at least a portion ofthe distal end surface of a waveguide (e.g., a fiber core of the opticalwaveguide) of the optical fiber member.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart that illustrates a method for using a distal endportion of an optical fiber member that has a cover made of a removablematerial, according to an embodiment. As shown in FIG. 5, an opticalfiber member that has a removable material coupled to a distal endportion of the optical fiber member is received, at 500. In someembodiments, the removable material can be coupled to the distal endportion of the optical fiber member using the method described inconnection with FIG. 4.

The distal end portion of the optical fiber member is inserted into abody of a patient through a lumen of an endoscope, at 510. The removablematerial defines a cover that can facilitate movement of the opticalfiber member within the lumen of an endoscope (e.g., an endoscopic tube)without damaging the optical fiber member and/or the lumen of anendoscope. In some embodiments, the distal end portion of the opticalfiber member can be inserted into the body of the patient during aplacement portion of a medical procedure.

An electromagnetic radiation source coupled to the optical fiber memberis activated so that at least a portion of the removable material isremoved from the distal end portion by electromagnetic radiation emittedfrom the electromagnetic radiation source, at 520. In some embodiments,the electromagnetic radiation can be propagated within a waveguide ofthe optical fiber member so that the electromagnetic radiation collideswith the portion of the removable material and, for example, fragmentsthe removable material.

In some embodiments, the portion of the removable material can beremoved during a removal portion of a medical procedure. In someembodiments, the portion of the removable material can be removed whenthe distal end portion is disposed outside a distal end of theendoscopic tube or within a portion of the endoscopic tube. In someembodiments, the portion of the removable material can be removed whilethe distal end portion of the optical fiber member is being insertedinto the body of the patient as described in connection with block 510.

A portion of the body of the patient is treated using the optical fibermember, at 530. In some embodiments, the portion of the body of thepatient can be treated using electromagnetic radiation emitted from theelectromagnetic radiation source described in connection with block 520and/or a different electromagnetic radiation source. In someembodiments, the portion of the body of the patient can be treatedduring a treatment portion of a medical procedure.

FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram of a side cross-sectional view of aremovable cover 660 coupled to an optical fiber member 600, according toan embodiment. The optical fiber member 600 has a waveguide 650 and ajacket 670. As shown in FIG. 6, the removable cover 660 has asubstantially spherical shape and is disposed around an edge 656 of thewaveguide 650. As shown in FIG. 6, the removable cover 660 is coupled tothe waveguide 650 such that a portion 682 of the waveguide 650 isexposed after the removable cover 660 has been coupled to the waveguide650. Accordingly, a proximal end of the removable cover 660 is not incontact with the jacket 670.

As shown in FIG. 6, a cavity 654 is disposed between a distal endsurface 652 of the waveguide 650 and an interior portion of theremovable cover 660. Although not shown, in some embodiments, theremovable cover 660 can be defined so that the cavity 654 is notdisposed between the distal end surface 652 of the waveguide 650 and theremovable cover 660. In such instances, substantially an entire interiorportion of the removable cover 660 can be coupled to the waveguide 650(e.g., coupled to waveguide 650 without any remaining space or cavity).

In some embodiments, a cover (not shown) that is different from thecover 660 can be coupled to the jacket 670 so that an edge 672 of thejacket 670 may not, for example, snag an interior portion of anendoscopic tube (not shown). In some embodiments, the cover coupled tothe jacket 670 can be coupled to or can be separate and spaced apartfrom the cover 660. The cover coupled to the jacket 670 mayor may not bea made of a material configured to be removed in response to incidentelectromagnetic radiation.

Although not shown, in some embodiments, a cover can be coupled to adistal end portion of an optical fiber member 600 such that the cover iscoupled only to the jacket 670 (e.g., an outer surface of a side wall ofthe jacket 670, a distal end surface of the jacket 670) of the opticalfiber member 600. In such instances, an interior portion of the covermay not contact any portion of the waveguide 650. In other words, acover can be coupled to the jacket 670 (e.g., an outer surface of a sidewall of the jacket 670 and/or a distal end surface of the jacket 670)and/or at least a portion of the waveguide 650 (e.g., an outer surfaceof a side wall of the waveguide 650 and/or the distal end surface 652 ofthe waveguide 650).

FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram of a side cross-sectional view of aremovable cover 760 being coupled to an optical fiber member 700,according to another embodiment. The optical fiber member 700 has awaveguide 750 and a jacket 770. At least a portion of the jacket 770 hasbeen stripped from the waveguide 750 to expose a distal end portion ofthe waveguide 750. As shown in FIG. 7, an arc of curvature 764 on anouter surface of the cover 760 can be co-planar with a longitudinal axis(or centerline) W of the cover 760 and/or the optical fiber member 700.

As shown in FIG. 7, the removable cover 760 can be moved in direction Tso that a cavity 762 defined by the removable cover 760 can be placedover the edge 752 of the waveguide 750. In some embodiments, the cavity762 of the removable cover 760 can be defined so that the removablecover 760 can be press fit to the waveguide 750 over the edge 752. Insome embodiments, the removable cover 760 can be heated so that theremovable cover 760 is substantially fixedly coupled to the distal endportion of the waveguide 750 and/or the jacket 770. In some embodiments,a proximal end of the removable cover 760 mayor may not be coupled tothe jacket 770.

FIG. 8 is a schematic diagram of a side cross-sectional view of aremovable cover 860 coupled to an optical fiber member 800, according toanother embodiment. The optical fiber member 800 has a waveguide 850 anda jacket 870. At least a portion of the jacket 870 has been strippedfrom the waveguide 850, and the removable cover 860, which has toroidshape, is coupled to the waveguide 850 around an edge 864 of thewaveguide. As shown in FIG. 8, an opening 866 defined by the removablecover 860 is aligned along a plane that is substantially normal to alongitudinal axis (or centerline) X of the waveguide 850 so that adistal end surface 862 of the waveguide 850 is exposed through theopening 866. Although not shown, in some embodiments, the removablecover 860 can have an opening (not shown) that is not aligned along aplane normal to the longitudinal axis (or centerline) X of the waveguide850.

In some embodiments, portions of the removable cover 860 can be removedin response to electromagnetic radiation being propagated within thewaveguide 850. In some embodiments, portions of the removable cover 860can be removed in response to electromagnetic radiation being reflectedfrom a proximal side of the distal end surface 862 of the waveguide 850.

FIG. 9 is a schematic diagram of a side cross-sectional view of aremovable cover 960 coupled to an optical fiber member 900, according toyet another embodiment. The optical fiber member 900 has a waveguide 950and a jacket 970. At least a portion of the jacket 970 has been strippedfrom the waveguide 950 and the removable cover 960 is coupled to adistal end surface 962 of the waveguide 950. As shown in FIG. 9, theremovable cover 960 is not disposed around an edge 964 of the waveguide950. The removable cover 960 has a size sufficient to substantiallyprevent the edge 964 of the waveguide 950 from coming in contact with,for example, a inner portion of an endoscopic tube (not shown) during aplacement portion of a medical procedure.

In some embodiments, the removable cover 960 can be coupled to thedistal end surface 962 of the waveguide 950 using, for example, anadhesive. In some embodiments, removable cover 960 can be placed on thedistal end surface 962 of the waveguide 950 and can be heated so thatthe removable cover 960 adheres to the distal end surface 962 of thewaveguide 950.

While various embodiments have been described above, it should beunderstood that they have been presented by way of example only, notlimitation, and various changes in form and details may be made. Anyportion of the apparatus and/or methods described herein may be combinedin any combination, except mutually exclusive combinations. Theembodiments described herein can include various combinations and/orsub-combinations of the functions, components and/or features of thedifferent embodiments described. For example, multiple different typesof removable covers can be coupled to a single optical fiber member. Insome embodiments multiple different electromagnetic radiation sourcescan be used to remove a cover.

Other embodiments will be apparent to those skilled in the art fromconsideration of the specification and practice of the embodimentsdisclosed herein. It is intended that the specification and examples beconsidered as exemplary only, with a true scope and spirit of theinvention being indicated by the following claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. An apparatus comprising: a waveguide having adistal end surface substantially normal to a centerline of a distal endportion of the waveguide; and a cover coupled to a portion of thewaveguide, the cover having a portion distal to the distal end surfaceof the waveguide, and wherein the portion of the cover is made of amaterial configured to be removed when exposed to electromagneticradiation emitted from a portion of the distal end surface of thewaveguide.
 2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the portion of the coveris coupled to the distal end surface of the waveguide.
 3. The apparatusof claim 1, wherein the cover is coupled to an edge of the distal endsurface of the waveguide.
 4. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein thewaveguide further comprises: a cladding layer, and wherein the edge ofthe distal end surface of the waveguide is substantially defined by thecladding layer of the waveguide.
 5. The apparatus of claim 1, whereinthe cover includes a substantially spherical shape.
 6. The apparatus ofclaim 1, wherein the cover includes a toroid shape that defines anopening substantially aligned along a plane normal to a centerline of afiber core of the distal end portion of the waveguide.
 7. The apparatusof claim 1, wherein the material is substantially opaque to theelectromagnetic radiation when emitted from the distal end surface ofthe waveguide.
 8. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising: a jacketdisposed around the waveguide proximally to the portion of the cover,wherein the material of the portion of the cover includes a compositionsubstantially similar to a composition of the jacket.
 9. The apparatusof claim 1, further comprising: a jacket disposed around the waveguide,wherein the cover is coupled to a portion of the jacket.
 10. Theapparatus of claim 1, further comprising: a jacket disposed around thewaveguide, wherein the cover includes a proximal end separated from adistal end of the jacket by an air gap.
 11. The apparatus of claim 1,wherein the distal end surface of the waveguide is defined partially bya fiber core of the waveguide.
 12. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein thecover is adhesively coupled to at least one of a cladding layer of thewaveguide and the portion of the edge.
 13. The apparatus of claim 1,wherein the waveguide is included in a ureteroscope.
 14. A method,comprising: removing a portion of a jacket disposed on a waveguide suchthat an axial portion of a cladding layer of the waveguide is exposed,wherein a distal end surface of the waveguide is defined by the claddinglayer and a fiber core of the waveguide, and the distal end surface ofthe waveguide is substantially normal to a centerline of the waveguide;and disposing a material on an edge of the distal end surface and on aportion of the distal end surface of the waveguide, wherein the materialis configured to be removed when exposed to electromagnetic radiationemitted from a portion of the distal end surface of the waveguide. 15.The method of claim 14, wherein the disposing step includes disposingthe material on a portion of the axial portion of the cladding layer.16. The method of claim 14, further comprising: removing a first portionof the material such that a second portion of the material remaining onthe edge of the distal end surface has an arc of curvature co-planarwith the centerline of the waveguide.
 17. The method of claim 14,wherein the disposing step is performed using at least one of a dippingprocess and a deposition process.
 18. The method of claim 14, furtherincluding: defining a cover having a cavity defined by an inner surfaceof the cover, wherein the material defines a portion of the innersurface of the cover; and wherein the disposing step includes moving theportion of the inner surface over the waveguide.
 19. A method,comprising: inserting a distal end portion of a waveguide into a body ofa patient through an endoscopic tube, wherein the waveguide includes aremovable material coupled to a distal end surface of the distal endportion of the waveguide, and the distal end surface is substantiallynormal to a centerline of the distal end portion of the waveguide; andactivating an electromagnetic radiation source coupled to a proximal endportion of the waveguide such that a portion of the removable materialis removed from the distal end surface by electromagnetic radiationemitted from the electromagnetic radiation source.
 20. The method ofclaim 19, wherein the removable material is configured such that theportion of the removable material is removed within one second of theactivating.